Avianca aircraft accident near Condoto

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Avianca aircraft accident near Condoto
HK-1175 Douglas DC-3 Air Colombia (7497166292) .jpg

An Air Colombia Douglas DC-3
Accident summary
Accident type Loss of control due to incorrect weight distribution
place near Condoto , ColombiaColombiaColombia 
date September 15, 1964
Fatalities 2
Survivors 0
Aircraft
Aircraft type United StatesUnited States Douglas DC-3 / C-47A-80-DL
operator ColombiaColombia Avianca
Mark ColombiaColombia HK-319
Departure airport Condoto Airport , ColombiaColombiaColombia 
Destination airport Medellin Airport , ColombiaColombiaColombia 
Passengers 0
crew 2
Lists of aviation accidents

The Avianca aircraft accident at Condoto occurred on September 15, 1964. On that day, a Douglas DC-3 / C-47A-80-DL of the Avianca , with which a domestic cargo flight from Condoto to Medellín was being carried out, crashed while the pilots tried to return to the airport of departure with the machine, which was difficult to control due to a faulty load. The pilots were both killed in the incident.

machine

The aircraft was a Douglas DC-3 of the series C-47A-80-DL, which was built during the Second World War at the Douglas Aircraft Company's plant in Long Beach , California and on February 19, 1944 with the serial number 19680 and the military aircraft registration number 43 -15214 was delivered to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). After the war, the machine was categorized as a USAAF surplus and phased out. The machine was then registered under the aircraft registration number NC88725 for sale to an unknown new owner , but the deal did not materialize. A new certificate of airworthiness was issued for the machine on May 21, 1946 . In this context, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation from Washington, DC took over the machine. On April 15, 1949, the registration number N88725 , which had been converted to the new system, was deleted from the registration register. The machine was initially registered with the new registration number C-319 to an unknown owner in Colombia, a little later the new registration number HK-319 was issued, with which the machine was finally taken over by Avianca. The twin-engine medium -haul aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp double radial engines , each with an output of 1,200 hp.

Inmates and cargo

There was only a two-person crew on board the machine, consisting of a flight captain and a first officer. The machine, which arrived from Medellín, was loaded in Condoto with nine barrels, which were 90 cm high and 63 cm in diameter. They were filled with graphite oil. The weight of the barrels was 246 kg each, making a total of 2,214 kg. The take-off weight of the machine was 11,045 kg, which was 1,157 kg below the maximum allowable take-off weight. The barrels were placed on the loading area as instructed by the foreman. They were secured with agave fiber tapes of the type typically used in the Avianca.

the accident

The plane landed in Condoto at 11:48 a.m. local time after a flight from Medellín. It was loaded and unloaded there and took off from runway 27 at 12:40 p.m. for a return flight to Medellín. After take-off, the cruise frequency was switched to. Five minutes after take-off, the captain asked for clearance to return to Condoto because the engine was incorrectly loaded. At 12:50 p.m. the DC-3 was again on its final approach. She flew over the airport grounds, made a left turn and finally sank down onto runway 27. The machine touched down on the runway and jumped up twice before climbing again. There was then a stall and loss of control, the machine hit the site at 17:51 with a left roll angle 480 meters behind the end of the runway and caught fire. The machine came to a stop 725 meters beyond the runway threshold. Both pilots were killed.

Crash site

The debris from the left wing and eight barrels were found in a trench running parallel to runway 27. Parts of the pilot's headset and glasses were also found in the trench, as well as the dial of an altimeter and the left propeller. The rest of the debris had sunk into an adjacent pond that was up to ten feet deep in places. Both pilots were still belted in their seats, which had been torn out of the cockpit floor by the force of the impact.

root cause

The main cause of the accident was found to be the fault of the ground staff. The sequence of events that led to the accident was triggered by an incorrect distribution of the cargo on board the aircraft. It was also found plausible that some barrels were loaded horizontally and were insufficiently secured. This could have led to the cargo slipping in flight, which would have shifted the center of gravity even further back.

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